The Wolf of the River
by TheEphemeralDream
Summary: Yuna of the River Tribe has gained a reputation as a fearsome waterbender. When the Avatar and her friends stumble across the River Tribe, the Chief asks Yuna and her cousin to be bodyguards against rogue tribes in the forest. But is Yuna ready for this journey with the brooding firebender for whom she develops feelings, despite scars of her own past she must overcome? OCxMako
1. Chapter 1

The filtered light of the forest is bright enough that I can see every minute detail on the forest floor, but not so bright to hurt my eyes. The forest soil is dampened from the recent rains, but the soil isn't as absorbent as what we have back at the village. The soil here absorbs sound and mutes my movements.

_Perfect_, I think to myself as I loosen the arrow.

No, not perfect. The arrow misses by mere inches and startled, the rabbit flees.

"Close," Rori says encouragingly. I roll my eyes. He's too optimistic for my liking.

"I don't understand why I can't just use waterbending. I have no feel for these stupid weapons," I complain, throwing down the bow.

Rori winces.

"Sorry," I say, sighing, picking up Rori's bow. "You take it – you know I hate having things in my hands when I walk. And the arrows." I unbuckle the sheath that's strapped to me.

"Not feeling too well today?" Rori frowns.

I sigh. "You know how I get sometimes. Cooped up here. I'm just getting paranoid – there hasn't been an attack in months! I keep getting the feeling that something's going to happen. Something really big."

Rori pats my arm sympathetically. The side of his mouth quirks up with a bit of a grin. "Or maybe they're just afraid of you! I heard you had a nickname … the Wolf?" he teases.

I roll my eyes, but what he says certainly calms my nerves a little. Yes, maybe our victory last time was enough to scare off the other tribes for a while.

"Let's head back," Rori suggests gently. I nod.

::~::

When we get to the wooden posts that mark our land, I notice something is wrong. There's nobody at the main entrance, where a guard usually sits.

My high-strung nerves tighten again.

Before Rori can pull me back, I'm rushing through the muddy paths, ignoring the mud that splashes up and splatters all over my legs.

I don't know what to think when I see the lack of evidence of violence, though the empty homes and the playground that is usually holding at least a few toddlers is unnerving.

Then suddenly, I see motion. It comes from Chief Dai's office-home.

I duck behind a tree, not knowing what to do. Is this a hostage situation?

I almost scream when a hand clamps down on my shoulder.

"Rori!" I hiss, and I realize he has finally caught up to me. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He blinks. "Yuna, calm down. Let's go inside and figure out what's going on." My face must show a pretty incredulous expression, because Rori raises an eyebrow. "It's not an attack, if that's what you're thinking. How would they have managed to do it so quietly, and so efficiently? My guess is that we've got company, and Dai's just brought them to his home to welcome them."

Rori's words do make sense, but the fear in my chest doesn't lessen at all as we come out of hiding and walk to the door.

I cringe as Rori knocks, making our presence known.

When Chief Dai opens the door with a look of joy written plainly on his face, I have to take a step back.

"I told you nothing was wrong," Rori mutters to me out of the corner of his mouth.

"Rori, Yuna, how happy I am to see you! Come in, we have some esteemed visitors I'd like to introduce you to."

Almost the entire village is gathered in Dai's home, the biggest home in our village. I check each villager's face, making sure nobody is hurt or being manipulated.

Then I see the guests.

"I'd like for you both to meet the Avatar."

::~::

My eyes widen in shock, but I swallow my surprise quickly, bowing my head in customary respect. "What an honour to meet the Avatar," I murmur, and I'm not sure whether I had intended the note of sarcasm.

_The Avatar. _The figurehead of hope. The harbinger of peace.

"They were attacked by the Talu tribe very close to our borders. They managed to fight them off, and we witnessed the last part of the battle. All of them are very commendable fighters."

Always spoken of in such high esteem, and yet all that stands before me is an ordinary-looking girl – albeit a bit more muscular than most girls. Her choice of companions surprises me as well: two boys, bordering on manhood, looking as if they might be brothers; and a girl only a bit older than me. My eyes rest on the girl first, because she surprises me more than the two boys. She's gorgeous, which is why I had been shocked, and there's something that suggest much more frailty than even her slender looks give away. I frown, wondering if the reason she's with the Avatar is because she's an airbender. She certainly doesn't look like an earthbender or a waterbender. Chief Dai had said all of them had fought, but it's hard for me to imagine this girl fighting. As for the other two, the prospect is much more possible. The younger brother has a stout figure, yet he looks friendly and approachable – like a bear cub – and despite his youthful appearance, he certainly appears to be capable of protecting himself. The older brother seems much more dangerous in my eyes, mainly because he looks so much less so. He certainly looks handsome, and his body is much leaner than that of his brother … but for all the lack of obvious strength, I sense that there's a fire brewing beneath that calm, collected exterior. There's something that sets him apart from the rest of the group, and my curiosity burns to know why.

I feel Rori elbow me, bringing me out of my musings. I turn to him in confusion.

He roll his eyes, shaking his head. "My name is Rori, and this is Yuna."

Whoops, forgot to introduce myself _before_ I started thinking. I bow, following Rori's lead. He's always made the better impression on guests.

"My name is Korra," the Avatar says, bowing back to me.

The younger brother speaks up, smiling. "I'm Bolin, and that's my brother Mako, and that's Asami."

"An honour to meet the comrades of the Avatar," I say, bowing again.

Chief Dai smiles and turns back to the crowd. "Let us conclude our introductions here, and return to daily business. We will have a feast in honour of the Avatar and her comrades, but before that, I have much to discuss with our young heroes."

As the villagers mill out of Dai's home, I hear snippets of conversation.

"Did you hear about the Avatar's polar bear dog? I hear she's _massive!_"

"That lady with them was really pretty!"

"Are you kidding me? That guy was handsome beyond belief!"

Rori and I are the last to leave, and I shoot a glare over my shoulder at Dai. He isn't facing us and doesn't see it. I scowl.

"So, looks like they were a nice bunch of heroes, huh?" Rori teases, knowing exactly how I feel. That's one of the many good things about him: he knows me so well that I don't need to explain my anger or my frustrations and spell them out loud anymore. Then softer, "You don't believe that their arrival here is a good thing, do you?"

"Of course not," I snap. "The longer they stay here, the longer we'll be watched by the Talu tribe. They're not exactly the easiest to fend off."

The Talu tribe is one of the few tribes that consists of waterbenders, earthbenders, and firebenders, which is what makes them so dangerous. Our waterbenders have a lot of trouble with the earthbenders in particular, even with our terrain. We're known to others as the River tribe, notably because we're situated very close to the large river that runs through the forest. The proximity to water has come in extremely handy for our waterbenders, but the enemies have learned to attack from different fronts now.

"I know you don't believe in much anymore," Rori says, even more quietly, "but I think the Avatar's being here signals a better tomorrow for us. That everything is going to change for the better."

I scowl. Rori is too idealistic. Naïve. I can't say he hasn't suffered much, because he has lost his father to the ceaseless territorial squabbles between our tribe and those surrounding us, but he certainly hasn't learned that in order to survive, it's not a matter of luck, good fortune or omens of peace, but rather being more powerful and ruthless than your enemy. I don't tell him this, not this time, because I've done so many times before and he's merely laughed it off.

"Yuna!" come a shout to my right. I feel my face form a smile. Kana's the only one who can do that to me, at any given time.

I catch her as she barrels into me for a hug. "Kana, you're getting too old for this," I say, but I'm laughing despite my words. Kana has her hair done up in braided pigtails, and she's wearing a dress that flutters down to her ankles. She's more than a head shorter than me; she's always been quite small for her age. When I'd been her age, I was about the same height as I am now.

"Am not," she pouts, and hugs Rori too. "Did you two have a nice day together? I can't believe the Avatar is here!"

Rori glances as me as I feel my face become stony again. "Come on, Kana, let's let your sister wash up in time for dinner. I'll teach you how to do some knots, how's that?"

I watch as they walk away cheerfully. Rori's always been good with _people_ in general, and I'm glad that he's stuck by me, because he's one of the very few people who I've actually found to be tolerable, and who finds me tolerable in return. At least Kana seems to be taking along the same path as Rori – her personality is certainly a contrast with mine, which means she's much friendlier, and has more friends than I did at her age. She idolizes Rori, I think even more than she idolizes me, which is somewhat of a good thing.

At least she isn't haunted by the past. She was too young back then to remember it now.

::~::

I sit with Kana and Rori during the dinner, and I purposefully seat us far away from our guests and Chief Dai. Even as it is, it's irksome to see the village girls fawning over the brothers, and even the prepubescent boys making eyes at Asami. The Avatar is off-limits, it seems.

"Eat up, Yuna," Rori says, eyeing my still-full plate. "It's not like you to refuse good food." He smiles.

I sigh. "I know," I say, stabbing my fork into a potato chunk. "I just think we're a bit too low on rations to be having a feast." I glare at the huge polar bear dog that's being tossed food – too much food, wasted like that.

Soon the music starts and the villagers get up to dance – it's customary. Kana is asked away by one of the boys who studies with her at school, and she blushes before taking his hand.

"Care for a dance?" Rori asks me, pushing away his empty plate. I smile at him and he leads me through the throng of dancers. The song is medium in tempo, and I follow Rori's lead effortlessly. It's a traditional dance for our people, and I learned it when I was very small. It's simple, but with a sort of timeless grace.

The first song ends, and a boy I know by face asks me to dance. Rori smiles at me encouragingly and leaves me. This song is slower, less traditional and more intimate. The boy holds me somewhat closely to him. It's nothing, really – all the villagers are dancing with each other. I glance over to the head of the table to see only a few people still eating or talking, but the Avatar and her friends are still there, having refused to dance. But as I watch, Rori takes the hand of the girl named Asami, and she blushes as they head over.

I roll my eyes. Of course he would. It wasn't anything personal, of course, because Rori has always been a kind and polite sort of person, but I could tell the girl thought it was something more. Truthfully, Rori was quite handsome, and I knew many of the village girls have crushes on him. Some, even now, looked at him and Asami enviously.

I stifle a laugh. The song ends, and I thank the boy for the dance politely. I'm ready to go back to the table, but someone stops in my path. It's the younger brother.

"May I have this dance?" he asks, a twinkle in his eye. He bows extravagantly, smiling up at me. My first instinct is to scowl and walk away, but this boy's open friendliness is a bit disarming. Inwardly, I shrug – what harm could this bring?

I force a smile that I swear must look more like a grimace, and take his hand.

"Uh," he says as the music starts again, slow-paced again, "I don't actually know that dance you guys were doing – "

Despite myself, I laugh at this. "Don't worry, this one is easy."

I place his hands on my waist and my hands on his shoulders, which is easy since we're about the same height. With Rori, I have to reach up just a little bit to do that.

"You're Yuna, right?"

I'm surprised he remembers my name, mostly because I don't remember his. I nod. "Sorry, but I don't recall yours."

"Bolin," he says, giving me a smile. No wonder I couldn't remember it. It's such a strange name, like the rest of his companions' names. I only remember the girl's name.

"Are you an earthbender?" I ask out of genuine curiosity. His build certainly suggests it.

"Hell yeah!" he says, beaming. "How could you tell?"

"Just the way you look," I say, smiling at him. I'm surprised I can actually be friendly with an earthbender, even though I've fought off countless bloodthirsty and cruel earthbenders.

He looks a little amazed. "That's pretty cool. How about you? Are you an earthbender too?"

"No," I say, with a bit of a smile. If it had been anyone else, that would have been an insult. "I'm a waterbender. There are only waterbenders in our village."

"Cool! So I bet you guys are pros at it, with all the knowledge and stuff passed down. Korra was a waterbender first, but of course she learned earth and fire from these old dudes they say are masters. She's only started on air now."

_Korra. _Okay, one more name down. "Right," I say, squinting as I try to remember. "Because Avatar Aang was an airbender."

"Yup! Just between the two of us though," he says conspiratorially, "Korra's not a very good airbender."

I only just notice the song coming to an end, and I thank Bolin for the dance quite sincerely before a friend of Kana's tugs on his sleeve, giggling.

I'm ready to retire, but I am stopped by Chief Dai.

"Don't tell me _you_ want to dance with me," I say, eyes narrowed. I'm still not over the fact that he's throwing a feast, even though this means we might not have enough food next week. My good mood from talking to Bolin disappears at the sight of him.

He laughs good-naturedly. "Of course not. This old man doesn't dance. I just wanted a word with you. And Rori, but he looks busy right now." He glances at Rori, who I notice is dancing with the Avatar now. I fight the urge to scowl.

I follow Dai through the crowd, somewhat annoyed. Can't I just get some rest now?

We sit at a secluded table.

"I'm glad you are getting along with the Avatar's friends. For some reason, I thought you might not like them, but you proved me wrong." I bite back a retort. "So this only makes my job easier when I ask if you and Rori would be willing to volunteer as bodyguards for the Avatar and her friends."

I frown at him in confusion. "Bodyguards? What are you talking about?"

He sighs. "The Avatar is on the run from criminals who have taken over Republic City, and understandably they need our help getting through the forest. They may be a strong group, but their styles of combat don't fare well with the other tribes that live here, especially not against the rogues."

My frown deepens. "Did they ask you for help or did you offer?"

He raises an eyebrow at me and sighs. "It's the Avatar, Yuna. Show some generosity."

Anger bubbles inside me – I'd show generosity if the Avatar actually did something for us! Instead, it's our people that rescue their little team and have to stow them away in what little space we have, risking the little wafety we've accomplished, and take care of them with the very few hands we have to spare! And not to mention, feed their _polar bear dog. _

But by sheer force, I manage to repress my anger. It's never to my advantage to fight with Chief Dai – he can be a manipulative bastard when he needs to, but up to now he's never used it to harm the village. In fact, his tricky nature has manoeuvred us out of some very bad situations.

"Look," I say, "I'd totally do this, but then the village would be left completely unprotected for weeks and I can't risk that. The village is my primary responsibility – anything else comes second to me."

I get up, brushing dirt off my pants and turn to leave.

"Yuna," Dai says from behind me, and I stop. There's a hint of something I don't like hearing in his voice. "You know who the only other capable waterbender is." My heart skips a beat. "And you know how dangerous the trip may turn out to be."

"Don't be daft," I hiss, whirling back to face him. "She's much too young, and you know it."

"Twelve isn't _too young_," Dai says, face void of emotion. "That's how old the previous Avatar was when he defeated Fire Lord Ozai. I will leave the decision to her is you refuse."

_Oh Kana_, I sigh, gritting my teeth. So strong-willed and wanting to prove her worth to the world. I'm proud of her progress as a waterbender, but she's no natural at it. She isn't so weak that I would worry myself sick when I am away anymore, but I know that she isn't strong either. Even at her age, I could have overpowered someone like her with both arms bound. She doesn't know the desperation and the adrenaline that one must use in battle to cinch a win. She doesn't understand pain and loss.

I close my eyes.

"I'll do it," I whisper, and even without seeing him, I know Dai is smiling coldly.

I know I'm going to regret this.

Hey! 

So this is the first chapter to a story I've been thinking of ever since I finished the Legend of Korra, Season 1. I cannot believe they're making us wait a year before putting out Season 2. Anyhow, I'm excited to be publishing this first chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy the story. 

A note on the names of my OCs. I know the Avatar world has been using some Asian-ish names, namely from Chinese and Japanese (well, for example the Sato family, as well as Mako's name), but I don't really like the Chinese names they've been using. T-T So not to be a rebel or anything, but yes, Yuna is a Korean name. It's a pretty common name, but I thought the syllables aren't too complicated and it could pass as an Avatar-world name. They _do_ have pretty weird names though, like Yuna says – what's with the names Bolin and Tarrlok? O-o Anyhow, I purposely didn't spell Yuna's name as Yoona, mainly because I didn't want to divert people's attention to SNSD. :S If you haven't read my profile, let me just tell you that I don't really like Yoona, or SNSD in general, haha. Rori doesn't have too much to explain – it's just a pretty uncommon name I made up (if it didn't exist before) and that I like :)

Please review and follow, and favourite if you're feeling super-nice! 

-Jennifer *huggles*


	2. Chapter 2

"Kana, you promise me you'll be careful, okay?" I cup my little sister's face with my hands as I gaze into her eyes.

"Of course," she says, giving me a sunny smile. "I'm so jealous of you and Rori! I wish I could go on an adventure with the Avatar."

_If only you knew how close to came to doing just that. _

I scowl, straightening the bag on my back as I stand up. "It's not an adventure. We're just getting them out of the forest because they aren't capable of it themselves."

"Ready to go?" comes Rori's voice from behind me. I turn, and see him dressed in forest-green clothing. It's his father's tunic and pants, I realize. His bow and quiver are strapped to his back, and a sheath hangs by his side, one that I know holds two blades.

An identical sheath hangs at my left hip – it was Rori who taught me how to use butterfly blades. On my right, there's a vial of purified water just in case. I wear a dark blue dress, the same one I've always worn to battle. It's sleeveless and is mid-thigh length, which allows me to move around quite easily. I wear black leggings underneath. My hair is braided to the nape of my neck and falls freely from there.

I grab the last thing, an old silver bracelet from my bedside table and put in on my left wrist. I would never go anywhere without it. And incidentally, it's the only accessory I can wear on my body without discomfort – any other bracelets or necklaces have always annoyed me.

"I'm ready," I say. Then turning to Kana, I say sternly, "Don't get into any trouble, all right?"

She rolls her eyes. "Of course," she repeats, and kisses me and Rori on our cheeks before we leave my house.

"You look nice in that," I say, and he smiles.

"My mother insisted that this journey was 'a chance of a lifetime', and that I should 'dress properly for once.'"

I laugh. Rori's mother tried her best to help provide for my sister and I after we lost our parents, so I knew exactly how she could be.

We near Chief Dai's house, but Rori stops me, tugging on my elbow to my surprise. "Hey you," he says quietly, "relax. The village will be fine. Stop stressing yourself out. Breathe."

I take a deep breath, and realize Rori is right about me stressing. I suddenly notice the tension in my shoulders and back and try to dispel it from my body. "Thanks," I murmur as we continue, walking up the steps to Dai's home.

I notice a huge white creature next to the house. It must be the polar bear dog, and some small children are tugging on its ears. Sitting atop its head is a small reddish rodent-like creature. It must be another pet.

The Avatar's group is ready to go, and they're lounging on the sofas. I take a closer look at them now. The older brother catches my eye first. What was his name again? He wears a bright red scarf on top of darker-coloured clothing, and I notice that he's quite tall. Maybe even a bit taller than Rori. He has a narrow jawline and arched eyebrows. He also looks like he's quite pissed off, but that might just be his normal look. I scowl. I hate people like him. The younger brother with the strange name – Bolin – is lounging in the chair beside his brother. I had a pretty good look at him yesterday, but what I notice now are that his eyes are bright green, whereas his brother's are a subdued amber. One by one, their features would appear similar, but put together, the two brothers give off completely different auras.

The girl, Asami, is perched daintily on the arm of a sofa. She smiles when she sees Rori and wiggles her fingers at him. I resist the urge to snort. The Avatar is lounging on the same sofa and looks quite eager to leave. She wears clothes that spell out _Southern Water Tribe_, or at least what I've seen in pictures. Her skin is dark, and her nose is slightly upturned.

Chief Dai is to the left of them. "And here are your guides! You've seen each other before, and am I correct in assuming you've exchanged a few words?" He smiles in a way that I assume he thinks is fatherly, but my scowl only deepens. "Let me introduce Yuna and Rori again as your guides. Rori is the main guide, because he would know the forest even in his sleep. He can get you anywhere, in the fastest time and on the safest route. He's quite good in combat as well as hunting. But the real bodyguard here is Yuna." He tosses me a smile of pride. My eyes narrow at him in a glare. "She's our waterbending prodigy. And it's not an idle boast when I say there's not one waterbender in this forest who's a match for her."

The Avatar seems to perk up as Dai tells them I'm a waterbender. She must be wondering who is the more adept waterbender between the two of us.

"You might want to get to know the skills of your companions as soon as you set out. It might be difficult for you to coordinate otherwise." Well, at least that's true.

I walk out wordlessly as Dai starts to hand out supplies, because I have all the supplies I need packed already. Rori throws me a worried but understanding look – I had told him how Dai had coerced me into this job.

The children are gone, and the polar bear dog's ears perk up as I walk towards it. It _is_ massive, and I approach it cautiously. Animals don't like to feel threatened. Just like me. The reddish creature cocks its head at me, and I realize it's a ferret. It jumps onto my shoulders and nuzzles my cheek. I pat the polar bear dog's head.

I hear the Dai's door open and one pair of footsteps descending the stairs. It must be Rori, coming out to check on me.

"How much longer until we can get away from that bastard?" I demand as he nears me.

There's a slight hesitation in the footsteps. "I don't know," says an amused voice that is obviously not Rori's. I turn around and see a handsome face. It's the older brother.

::~::

Annoyed that I was wrong in assuming it was Rori, I turn back to the polar bear dog. The ferret jumps off my shoulders and onto his instead. _Traitor_, I think.

"What are you doing out here?" I say in an expressionless voice. I can't remember his name, no matter how hard I wrack my brains.

"I needed some fresh air." Dai's rooms could be pretty stuffy. Suffocating, and not just in the physical sense. "Pabu and Naga seem to like you a lot."

I assume he means to two beasts, but he doesn't specify which is which. I grunt a very unladylike assent.

The ferret chatters and jumps back on my shoulders.

"Are you worried that if you come with us, your village will be in danger?"

The question makes me freeze. I hadn't expected him to ask me that, not so soon, and certainly not so suddenly. Maybe it is a bit obvious … but I still hadn't expected anyone to voice it.

I give him a non-committal shrug for an answer, mind still shocked at his audacity.

"I'm sorry we're the cause for that then."

I turn around to face him. "Why the hell do you care, city boy?" I ask angrily. I don't want his pity or his stupid apologies. I just want to get this task done with. A flash of anger or shock – I can't tell which – appears in his eyes, but just at that moment Dai's door opens and the others walk out, small packs slung over their shoulders. Strapped to the packs are rolled-up blankets, and Rori holds an extra, presumably mine, in his hands. He's the only one who notices my angry stance and expression before I wipe my face clear of emotion and turn to give the polar bear dog one last pat.

I walk past the older brother to get to Rori, who tosses me the roll. I strap it to my pack.

"Are we all ready to go?" I ask sarcastically, and without waiting for an answer, I trudge away with Rori beside me. Some of the children come out to wave goodbye to us, and even a handful of adults. I ignore them all, but inside I'm fearfully praying that they'll all be okay and unharmed when we get back.

"What happened?" Rori asks me quietly as we exit the village. There's a bit of a commotion behind us, as some of the children want to say goodbye to the animals.

"Nothing," I practically snarl. I don't even want to talk to Rori now. He knows it, but he doesn't quieten.

"They're not bad people, Yuna, and I know you'd grow to like them, if only you gave them a chance. His name is Mako, by the way," he smiles faintly at me, knowing that I have problems with remembering names. "They're not like you think. They're all had to make sacrifices too." He lowers his voice a bit more. "Asami's father turned out to be working for the enemy, and he almost killed her. Her mother was killed when she was very young. Mako watched firebenders kill his parents for the money in their pockets, and both brothers grew up without parents. Mako had to take care of Bolin since they were both very young. "

My eyes widen, just a little bit at all of this information, especially at the last part. The parallels between Mako and I are impossible to ignore.

I turn back to sneak a peek at the older brother. His eyes are cast downwards and his hands are in his pockets. There's a slight frown on his face. And suddenly, that mismatched scarf stands out even brighter to me against the dark clothes.

I turn to face forward again, but I can't keep my eyes off my left wrist, where the bracelet is. The delicate yet simple swirls are a reminder of who I am – a waterbender – and of the family to which I belong – a family of waterbenders. It had been my mother's, and it is one of the last things I have that reminds me of my parents.

And that scarf, it's the same. They're mementos, reminders of who we are.

I suddenly realize that this aloof city boy isn't as different from me as I thought.

Hello, dear readers! :) Today is pretty cloudy where I am, and I don't really like cloudiness :( Blame the weather for the shortness of the chapter! :(

Yes, Yuna _is_ acting hypocritically to Mako, which is sort of the point. ("He also looks like he's quite pissed off, but that might just be his normal look. I scowl. I hate people like him.") Personally, I've always really liked Rori, ever since I "created" him a couple weeks ago. However, I like Yuna too, and you can be sure she'll change a bit over the course of the story. 

Please, review and follow! 

-Jennifer *hugs*


	3. Chapter 3

Travelling with them isn't as bad as I imagined.

It's worse.

I thought they'd shut up and just follow us quietly, but their footsteps are loud and they talk about nonsense topics. I wouldn't be surprised if every animal within a mile's radius could hear us and would have already fled.

Rori assures me that we're on the safest route possible, and that there's nothing here to hear us. But I'm not so certain even his assessment is completely correct. The Talu tribe doesn't take losses very happily, especially from a group of nobodies like the Avatar's little friends. They're probably on our trail, using their salamander-dragons to track us. It won't be very long, but all I can hope is that they're not willing to spare too many forces on this little mission, and that only a few of their decent fighters will be sent to hunt us down.

"Let's stop for lunch break," Rori says suddenly, and I glare at him. We've barely begun trekking, my breakfast hasn't even gone down properly yet, and he wants to have lunch break already?

No, of course it's not because of his own needs. He's even more resilient than I am. I look back, and sure enough, our little _friends_ are looking exhausted.

"Thank goodness," says Bolin, flopping down on the ground. "I've never walked so much in my entire life!"

I breathe deeply, forcing myself to stay calm. How are we going to get them to safety at this pace? It's impossible!

"Don't eat that yet," I say sharply to the Avatar, who's about to take a bite of the bread that's in her pack. "The bread can last a while. We'll catch lunch."

The unspoken question is as good as asked from them: _Catch lunch?_

I stalk off into the forest alone, leaving Rori to deal with our companions. I'd much rather go hunting than suffer through another moment with them. His patience is really limitless for him to be able to deal with these city kids.

Or maybe my impatience is just of legendary proportions. I've certainly been told so, I muse with a little bit of a frown. And maybe I shouldn't think of them as _kids_. They're probably about the same age as me, with some of them maybe even older.

I take my time catching two rabbits, making their deaths quick with a simple freezing of the blood in their brains. Holding them up by their ears, I bring them back to where the rest of the group is.

But they're not there. I drop the rabbits unceremoniously on the ground, but my heart isn't panicking. They're with Rori, so they wouldn't have been captured without trouble on the enemy's part. Sure enough, I find them picking berries about a minute's walk away.

"Hey Yuna," Rori says, smiling. "Sorry we left without telling you. Bolin got a bit hungry."

Surprisingly, I don't really get annoyed at this. My little walk in the forest has made me less easily angered, and I merely nod at the boy who's stuffing his face with berries.

"Let's get back. I caught two rabbits, and I'd rather you skin them than me."

Rori grins at me, knowing that I can't skin animals for the life of me. When I try, I end up throwing away a pelt with half of the flesh ripped away. He shoves a handful of berries into my hands before I can protest and tells me to stay with them for a while longer. I roll my eyes, but I eat the berries anyways after he walks off.

"So you're a waterbender?"

I look up to see Asami beside me, on my right. I'm pretty sure she already knows this, so I understand it as a conversation-starter.

"Erm, yeah," I say. "And you?"

"Oh, I'm a non-bender," she says, with an unnecessary hair flip. But it seems to be done unconsciously. "Like Rori."

I raise an eyebrow, giving her a nod of acknowledgement before returning to picking berries. I don't make an effort to pick up the conversation.

"So about Rori…" she starts awkwardly.

"He's my cousin," I say quickly, knowing where the conversation is going.

"Oh!" she says, a bit surprised. "I thought you two … you know."

I laugh, an awkward sound. "We don't really look alike, but no, we're cousins, and really great friends. He's like … he's like the brother I never had. He takes care of me." Like the older brother I lost, the one I remember bits and pieces of. Kana doesn't remember Kihan at all.

Why am I even still talking to her? She's trying to make a move on my best friend, and judging by her beauty, she has a shot at being successful.

"That must be nice," she says softly. I'm a bit surprised at her change in tone. "I mean, having someone to take care of you," she says, smiling a bit sadly. "I'm an only child too."

"Oh, I have a little sister," I add hastily. "Kana. She was at the festival – I'm not sure if you met her? She …" _She's the only reason I agreed to this stupid trip. _"She means the world to me."

"I think I met her. The cute girl with pigtails, right? She told me her sister was the most amazing waterbender, and that I'm lucky to have danced with Rori."

Despite myself, I can't fight back a smile. "That's definitely her."

We continue to pick berries, the silence between us no longer awkward. It's almost … amiable. Asami suddenly gasps softly.

"What's wrong?"

"I … caught my thumb on the thorn there," she says, embarrassed. It's bleeding and it looks like the thorn went in quite deep. I don't hesitate to waterbend a small amount of water out of the berry bush and hold it to her thumb. The water forms a spherical shape around her thumb and glows with my energy. It takes all but two seconds to heal the little wound.

"Thank you," she says, surprised. "That was really fast healing."

"Should we be heading back now?" comes a voice from Asami's right. It's Mako. And for some strange reason, a shadow crosses Asami's face and she edges away from him.

"Yeah, sure," I say, still curious as to Asami's strange behaviour.

I eat one last berry and the six of us, including the polar bear dog and the furry little weasel thing, trudge back to where Rori is.

He's done one rabbit and nearly done the second.

"I'll go get some wood for the fire," I say, mostly just to Rori.

"I can build a fire," Mako offers, and I almost slap myself on the forehead. We have a _firebender_, for god's sake.

Rori laughs. "That'll come in handy. I brought the flint and all for nothing then." At least I'm not the only one who overlooked the fact.

"Nevertheless we need wood," I say brusquely, and I stop at the nearest fallen log. Waterbending the moisture out of a nearby plant, I start slicing at the tree bark.

"That's an interesting way to get water."

I almost groan out loud – is it _talk to the antisocial girl _day? It's Korra.

"Got to make do with what I have," I say in a bit of a grunt.

"You seem like a pretty good waterbender."

I cock an eyebrow at that. Is that a challenge? Her tone certainly suggests it. I don't answer, and continue hacking through the wood.

I manage to slice a sizable cylinder from the trunk, and I cut it length-wise into three smaller pieces. I pick one up, aware that Korra is still there. She picks up the other two and follows me back to the others. The water goes in a little flask in my bag.

Mako easily sets fire to the big chunks of wood, and his brother earthbends a little wall around it, to my relief.

One of my only fears is fire. There aren't many of them in this damp forest, but I've always been afraid of the dynamic element. It's uncontrollable to anyone other than firebenders, and I've heard enough stories about the Fire Nation to know that I have reason to fear them.

Rori glances at me, something that would have been inconspicuous to anyone else. It means, _Are you okay? _

I nod slightly in return, and he gives me a small smile before turning away. Rori smears some precious salt and pepper onto the rabbit corpses and skewers them using a thin metal rod he's brought along. He asks Bolin to earthbend two little supports for it so that the rod can rest on the supports above the fire.

It really is much easier with more benders. I've always been quite reliant on my bending, and I can't imagine being a non-bender like Rori. Though admittedly, he has made do quite well with his weapons. He could definitely survive in the wild much better than me if that's what it came down to. I could fight better than he could due to my bending, but other than that I'm but a little more than helpless.

I notice then that Asami looks a bit disgusted by the whole set-up, and she winces as she looks at the carcasses of the rabbits.

When Rori proclaims them thoroughly cooked, he takes out a knife and cuts us each a piece to eat.

"I think I'll stick with my bread," Asami says, grimacing, but she's the only one.

The meat isn't the best-tasting food in the world, but it's good enough. It's certainly better than gnawing on tree bark – though it's edible, it's certainly not made for human consumption. I expect if we keep moving at this speed, we may have to do just that sometime.

Our hands are all oily from the rabbit, and I reach into my pack gingerly to get out the little bar of soap. I waterbend the water from before out of my flask, and help everyone but Korra wash her hands – she manages to copy what I did by drying out a small fern.

"You're a quick learner," I say grudgingly. She flashes me a grin.

As I wash Mako's hands, I notice there's a big scar on the side of his wrist, one that stands out on what, other than that, is perfectly smooth skin. I decide not to ask him about it, just because I don't really want to strike up an unnecessary conversation. Especially not with him.

"Thank you," he murmurs, and I unwillingly look him in the eye. He's really quite handsome, all hard lines and chiseled features. My lips tighten.

"No problem." And I walk away.

It's easier to be around Bolin. Well, it's easier to be around anyone compared to him, because I'm not attracted to any of them. But for me, Bolin is the easiest to talk to as we start walking again. Rori nods at me encouragingly, and he begins to entertain the rest of them. The whole lot of them. He's really quite spectacular at socializing.

Bolin tells me about how he and his brother met Korra. It's a long story, but it's easy to just nod and act impressed whenever he draws breath. And really, it gets quite interesting, though he does have a habit of glossing over anything that doesn't have him in the midst of action. He finishes with a short summary of how Korra and Mako managed to overpower the big bad guy in the end.

"But then suddenly another gang started trying to take power! I mean seriously, how hard is it to be a hero? Just one bad guy after another!"

And apparently this time the "bad guys" were after them specifically, so they were asked by the General of the United Forces to leave for now to go to Omashu, where they could be of help to a smaller, but still serious anti-bender revolution.

"So how exactly did you guys meet Asami?" I ask when he finishes. "She isn't a bender, right? Did you meet when you were much younger?"

"No, definitely not! I mean, Mako and I pretty much grew up on the streets in the beginning," he says blithely, but I'm surprised at this. "And Asami's family is like, super-rich. Well, actually it's a pretty funny story, but Asami crashed into Mako on her moped one day, and then they started going out."

"Oh," I say distractedly.

Then, "_What?_ They started _going out?_"

If they went out, it wasn't difficult to figure out how Asami had turned so cold towards him. It could only mean that they'd broken up, and he'd been the cause of it.

I groan.

Hello there! Haven't been updating this story as much as I would have liked, but then again, I'm not getting much inspiration for this. Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit forced – my LOK excitement has worn off a bit since I finished the series. Anyhow, I'm glad Rori's just her cousin, because if he hadn't been, I probably would have gotten Yuna to fall in love with _him _by now … Jeez, my brain just _loves_ confusing itself. 

Please review and follow! And if it's not too much to hope for, favourite! ;)

-Jennifer *hugs*


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